Good Health

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"To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear." ~Buddha

Today is my sister-in-law's birthday. My husband called her early early this morning to wish her a happy birthday and hoping to wake her up. But of course, she was already up and out and had run her 4 miles (something she does every day).

She makes me feel guilty. I'm lucky to get my one measly mile completed on the treadmill and that takes me all day. You can guess which one of us is thin and which of us is fat.

I've been trying to account for the difference between us, but basically we are just two completely different people, interested in completely different things.

I do think, however, that some of the difference can be traced to high school. She went to a small high school with about 30 in her graduating class. Her school had an active girls' sports program. She was the track star. Some of her records still stand.

I went to a large high school with almost 500 in my class. We had an active sports program, also, but it was all for the boys. There were absolutely no girls' activities unless you qualified for the cheerleading squad. We had P.E. classes every other day, but no other sports. Since I never made the cheer team, I was always in the bleachers destined to be a spectator.

Unfortunately, that has followed me through life. When it comes to sports and physical activity, I have continued to be a spectator. Is that because of my high school's attitude towards girl's sports and activities? I can't blame them completely, but I do think that may be part of it.

A while ago I read an article about a school that was having to make budget cuts. Of course, sports programs were on the chopping block. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that this will have life-long consequences for students. Sports programs need to exist and every child should be encouraged to participate. Schools need to find a way to fund these programs. I wish they had funded them for girls when I was in school.